Israel Gaza - Palestine Geocide by Israel - netanyahu regime

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many of them have T-shirts calling Jews for ceasefire. just like this

[Yervant1]

Dec 30 2023

Opinion: The U.K. and Armenia know the dangers of the war in Gaza

Small wonder that staunch supporters of Israel are now calling for paths to a sustainable ceasefire.

Posted4:00 AM

Marc Champion

As Israel comes under growing international pressure to change its tactics and agree to a ceasefire in Gaza, its leaders have made clear they aren’t interested. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the shift would hand a victory to terrorism, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “proud” to have blocked the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, seen by allies as the prerequisite for any sustainable peace.

Two examples from recent history – from Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan – warn that these could be catastrophic miscalculations for the state of Israel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marc Champion is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Europe, Russia and the Middle East. He was previously Istanbul bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal.

Ben Wallace, the U.K. secretary of state for defense until August, made the Irish comparison in an article published this month in the Daily Telegraph, a solidly pro-Israel U.K. newspaper. The Troubles, as more than three decades of sectarian bloodshed over Northern Ireland’s status are known, escalated dramatically, he recalled, after the British government tried to end them through a draconian combination of military force and a suspension of legal due process, called internment.

Internment involved the jailing without trial of thousands of people suspected of having connections to the Irish Republican Army. That in turn prompted the 1972 tragedy of Bloody Sunday, when British paratroopers shot 26 Catholics with live bullets at an anti-internment protest in the town of Derry, killing 14 of them. The result was a huge increase in membership for the Provisional IRA – a more radical splinter group of the Irish Republican Army – from a few dozens to about 1,000, funded by a boom in the group’s funding by sympathizers in the U.S. and elsewhere.

“Northern Ireland internment taught us that a disproportionate response by the state can serve as a terrorist organization’s best recruiting sergeant,’’ Wallace wrote. Two decades of intensified terrorist attacks followed Bloody Sunday, with the IRA expanding its bombing campaign to the U.K. mainland. Nothing worked to halt the violence until the U.K. government did what it said it never would and publicly opened negotiations in 1994 with the IRA’s political wing, Sinn Fein.

The price of peace was a power-sharing deal together with expanded self-government for Northern Ireland, plus the right to an eventual referendum on the region’s status, among other concessions made on both sides. The consequences for the U.K. were greater still because the deal forced it later to grant similar rights of self-government and potential secession to Scotland and Wales.

For sure, Northern Ireland is a different and in many ways much simpler case than the one Israel faces, not least because the Palestinian question plays a role far beyond Israel’s borders. The bloodshed in Gaza risks spurring recruitment not just for Hamas, but for Islamist terrorist organizations across the Middle East and beyond.

Small wonder then that such staunch supporters of Israel as France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. are now calling for Netanyahu to change tactics and look for paths to a sustainable cease-fire. As if to underscore the counterproductive nature of Israel’s scorched-earth tactics, the Israel Defense Forces recently acknowledged mistakenly killing three of the hostages they were sent into Gaza to rescue, even though they were waving improvised white flags of surrender.

The example of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh should be still more sobering for Israelis considering the road that Netanyahu and his government are taking. More than 30 years ago, I stood with an Armenian general at the top of a plateau as he pointed toward Mount Ararat in Turkey and territories beyond as far as Syria, which had once belonged to the Kingdom of Armenia but were now controlled by Muslim enemies. He called his predominantly Christian nation “the Israel of the Caucasus,” surrounded by sometimes genocidal hostility and obliged to rely on arms for its survival.

That was 1992. War was raging in Nagorno-Karabakh, a part of neighboring Azerbaijan that for centuries had been populated mainly by ethnic Armenians. They were now contesting Azeri control as the collapse of the Soviet Union gave sudden meaning to the USSR’s once notional internal borders. Karabakh’s Armenians wanted either to be independent or annexed, and by 1994 they had won a crushing military victory, backed by Armenia and its security guarantor, Russia. The future seemed secure, even without a political settlement to accompany the cease-fire that Armenia had forced on its defeated rival.

The U.S. and some in Armenia, including then President Levon Ter-Petrossian, worried this wasn’t sustainable. They argued for negotiating a long-term deal with Baku while Yerevan held most of the cards. The idea was that Armenians, including in Karabakh, should recognize Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over the enclave, in exchange for Baku accepting international peacekeepers, a land bridge from Karabakh to Armenia, and strong political autonomy for the enclave.

Ter-Petrossian’s proposals for compromise contributed to losing his job. He drew the ire of nationalists, including a hawkish diaspora, for whom the history of Armenian expulsion and genocide – committed by Ottoman Turkey in 1915 – required relentless vigilance and force, to ensure it could never happen again. Besides, why negotiate when Armenia had comprehensively won and enjoyed the support of regional hegemon Russia?

The answer to that question became apparent this summer. Azerbaijan’s oil and gas fields had slowly transformed the balance of forces over the years, allowing it to build and equip a military far in excess of anything Armenia could afford. Russia, meanwhile, became disenchanted with Yerevan, just as a resurgent Turkey grew willing to throw its weight behind Turkic Azerbaijan, disregarding objections from Moscow or Washington. Azerbaijan struck back in 2020, recovering many of its losses. And this year, with Moscow busy invading Ukraine, a further offensive took just a day to force Karabakh’s total surrender.

Ethnic Armenians fled, fearful of the coming Azeri revenge, and by now few if any remain in their ancestral homes. This tragic turn of events came about because Armenia fell victim to the “illusion of absolute security,” according to Thomas de Waal, a Caucasus specialist and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Times change, alliances change, and the military balance changes,’’ he said. And by the time that happens, it’s too late for diplomacy.

Getting to a settlement with Azerbaijan that was acceptable to both sides would have been difficult, even when Yerevan held the advantage. It took painful compromises for the U.K. to cut a deal with the former IRA commanders running Sinn Fein in 1998. And the hurdles to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine would be even bigger. Years of failed peace talks, rocket attacks and Hamas’ Oct. 7 atrocities have combined to harden views on both sides, including against the very concept of a two-state solution. Yet Israel, too, may not always be in a position of military dominance, enjoying the full backing of a superpower. Palestinians and Israelis have reason to despair of each other, but neither rage nor despair is a policy. After three-quarters of a century, nobody has come up with an alternative to the creation of two separate states that offers even the possibility of peaceful coexistence.

The much-derided two-state idea proposes not a utopian Shangri-la of cohabitation, but a divorce aimed at cutting short the fundamentally genocidal dreams of extremists. The terms of that divorce would need to guarantee the security of each state against the other, taking Gaza’s administration and policing out of the hands of both Hamas and Israel. That would not be easy, but the attempt couldn’t be worse than anything Netanyahu’s effort to crush not just Hamas, but Palestinian rights and hopes, can produce.

https://www.pressherald.com/2023/12/31/opinion-the-uk-and-armenia-know-the-dangers-of-israels-gaza-war/

[Yervant1]

 

Reuters

Jan 12 2024

 

Turkey providing documents for genocide hearings against Israel -Erdogan

Reuters

ANKARA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Turkey is providing documents for a case brought by South Africa against Israel at the U.N.'s top court on a charge of committing genocide against Palestinian civilians, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Erdogan said that Turkey would continue to provide documents, mostly visuals, on Israel's attacks on Gaza.

"I believe Israel will be convicted there. We believe in the justice of the International Court of Justice", Erdogan said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz described Erdogan as the president of "a country with the Armenian genocide in its past", and that he was targeting Israel with "unfounded claims".

Israel is not among the more than 30 countries that have formally recognised the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 as genocide. Turkey, established in 1923 after the Ottoman Empire collapsed, has always denied there was a systematic campaign to annihilate Armenians.

Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Daren Butler, Toby Chopra and Alex Richardson

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkey-providing-documents-genocide-hearings-against-israel-erdogan-2024-01-12/

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Israel offensive in Lebanon could increase risk of broader war, U.S. general says

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1 minute read

YEREVAN, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS. An Israeli offensive in Lebanon has the potential to increase the risk of a broader conflict that draws in Iran and Iran-aligned militants, particularly if Hezbollah's existence is threatened, Reuters reports citing U.S. Air Force General C.Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

"Hezbollah is more capable than Hamas as far as overall capability, number of rockets and the like. And I would just say I would see Iran be more inclined to provide greater support to Hezbollah," Brown told reporters before stopping in Cape Verde on his way to regional defense talks in Botswana.

"Again, all this could help to broaden the conflict in the region and really have Israel not only be worried about what's happening on their southern part of the country, but also now what's happening in the north."

Brown's comments came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that a coming end to the intense phase of fighting in Gaza would allow Israel to deploy more forces along the northern border with Lebanon.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/en/article/1194348?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1uhC_6WcfzIM0Aah37vNOgRQBtvIfsqC_gldy0Nh77b6r0Vu7X5_dxl1Y_aem_e0B4pWf4XYhsjVb2DW5f-Q

 

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[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Knesset votes overwhelmingly against Palestinian statehood

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1 minute read

YEREVAN, JULY 18, ARMENPRESS. The Knesset early Thursday voted overwhelmingly to pass a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, the Times of Israel reports.

This resolution — passed 68-9 — altogether rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state, even as part of a negotiated settlement with Israel.

“The Knesset of Israel firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of Jordan. The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel will pose an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilize the region,” the resolution stated.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy the Hamas group in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage.

Around 38,800 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

 

https://armenpress.am/en/article/1195952?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3-TXZMgPMGjKETdAJ8VP3UMh78CR5H150_OwXXYoyqj2f6leJqXJuomfo_aem_gFnkWAxTpJnAS8x7UGUPLw

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Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran, Hamas and Iranian media say

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Mystery Strike Kills Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh | Elimination Of Haniyeh Was Top Israel War Plan

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is this the end of Hamas or a beginning of a new much bigger wider war

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[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Israel orders troops stationed in Azerbaijan and Georgia to leave immediately amid threat of Iranian attack

Read the article in: العربيةEspañolفارسیFrançaisՀայերենქართულიРусский

1 minute read

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. Israel has ordered its military personnel stationed in Azerbaijan and Georgia to return immediately in light of threats of a possible Iranian strike, TASS news agency reported citing Kan state radio.

The directive issued by the Israeli military mandates its troops who are currently present in either of the two countries to return home without delay. 

Iran has vowed to retaliate for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July, which was carried out by Israel, according to Iran. But Israel has not claimed or denied responsibility for the killing.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1197490?fbclid=IwY2xjawEnf6NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHU0g8cixSVKdfaNjLnRkQNVkaPtJEbIDsHkBqNXvYv8xCBy6CpztKOkGDQ_aem_35FlEs7SHlfEV8XOTESNKw

 

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On 17 September 2024, around 15:30 local time, thousands of handheld pagers used by Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party and militant group, simultaneously exploded across Lebanon and Syria. At least nine were killed and over 2,750 wounded, including Hezbollah members and civilians. Wikipedia

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[Yervant1]

RFERL.org

 

Lebanon's Armenians Face Painful Choice: Stay And Risk Death Or Flee Their Country

October 16, 2024 05:42 GMT

• By Lusine Musaelian and Frud Bezhan

 

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli air strike in south Beirut on October 2.

 

The windows in Zakar Keshishian’s house rattle violently as Israeli air strikes pound Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.

“We don’t know how close the bombs will land from us,” said the 56-year-old. “We have to pray that we stay alive.”

Keshishian lives in Mezher, a small town just outside of Beirut that has been spared the worst of Israel’s devastating aerial bombardment of Lebanon.

Keshishian is a member of Lebanon’s 150,000-strong Armenian Christian community. Many are the descendants of the survivors of the World War I-era mass killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire that dozens of countries consider a genocide.

Now, Israel’s war has left many Lebanese Armenians with a painful choice: stay and risk death or leave behind a country they call home.

"We have at least 100 years of history here,” said Keshisian, a musician born in Beirut. “Letting go of our community, culture, and properties here will be incredibly hard.”

Zakar Keshishian.

Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon and its ongoing air strikes targeting Hezbollah, an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, has taken a huge toll on civilians.

Lebanese officials say more than 2,300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since September 23. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced, more than a fifth of the population, in the biggest displacement in the country’s history.

Little of Lebanon, a multiethnic and multireligious country of some 5.5 million people, has been spared. Israeli ground forces have invaded southern Lebanon. Israeli warplanes have carried out thousands of air strikes in Beirut and other major cities.

Keshishian, his wife, and 12-year-old son rarely venture outside their home in Mezher, a predominately Armenian town northeast of Beirut. Keshishian said he spends most of the day consoling his terrified son.

“I try to reassure him that this is temporary and that I went through similar experiences and survived,” said Keshishian. “But, in reality, my fears are eating me up.”

Keshishian says Israel’s war in Lebanon is not just against Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, although the EU has only blacklisted its armed wing.

“We’re all victims -- ordinary people, children, and the elderly,” he said. “We’re all victims of these inhumane actions, and the homes of ordinary citizens are being destroyed.”

A refugee camp in Bourj Hammoud, a predominately Armenian district in east Beirut

'Horror Of War'

Yessayi Havatian thought he was safe in his home in Anjar, a village some 60 kilometers east of Beirut.

The predominately Armenian village even took in hundreds of internally displaced people fleeing Israel’s bombardment of the country’s south.

But the 64-year-old Havatian said the war has now come to the village’s doorstep.

“The reality hit home when the sounds of explosions reached our ears -- much closer than we anticipated -- reminding us of the horror of war,” said the academic.

SEE ALSO:

Sleeping On Beaches, In Cars: Lebanon's Displaced Have Nowhere To Go Amid Israeli Bombing

Anjar, a historic village popular with tourists, lies just a few kilometers from the main border crossing with Syria.

Israeli air strikes on October 4 struck the Masnaa crossing, cutting off the road to traffic. Israel claimed Hezbollah was transporting weapons through the border.

Around 500,000 people have crossed the border in the past three weeks, many on foot carrying their children and belongings, to flee the violence in Lebanon.

 

 

Havatian, who was born in Anjar, survived Lebanon’s civil war from 1975 to 1990 and the Israeli-Hezbollah war in 2006. But he says the current conflict is different.

“I have witnessed many wars and armed clashes in Lebanon, but I have never seen such extensive destruction or attacks against the civilian population,” he said.

“The southern regions of Lebanon are completely devastated. It seems like the scenes of Gaza are repeating themselves,” added Havatian, referring to Israel’s ongoing war in the Palestinian enclave.

People carry their belongings while walking next to the rubble, after an Israeli strike, at the Masnaa border crossing.

'Constant State Of Alarm'

In Beirut, Christine Tanielian-Sarkisian coordinates the work of the Jinishian Memorial Program, an NGO that supports disadvantaged members of Lebanon’s Armenian community.

“Over the past few weeks, I have heard many heartbreaking stories from vulnerable families,” said the humanitarian worker.

“Mothers who we have helped told us how their children are suffering from trauma, insomnia, and stress-induced vomiting,” she added.

The 47-year-old lives with her husband and three children in east Beirut, a relatively safe area at the foot of the mountains that flank the city.

But she said Israel’s aerial bombardment of Beirut, a densely populated city of some 2.5 million people, has touched everyone.

“Maybe the war is not directly against us [the Armenian community], and perhaps we aren’t the main targets,” she said.

“But for the past few weeks, we have lived in a constant state of alarm. Our city feels paralyzed, and chaos surrounds us,” she added.

Tanielian-Sarkisian fears that Israel’s escalating war in Lebanon will force her and her family to flee the country. If the family is compelled to evacuate, their destination is Armenia.

“Lebanon is my country, and the Armenian community has fought hard to build our lives here,” she said. “We pray it will not come to that.”

• 

  Frud Bezhan

  Frud Bezhan is the regional desk editor for Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in the Central Newsroom at RFE/RL. Previously, he was a correspondent and reported from Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Turkey. Prior to joining RFE/RL in 2012, he worked as a freelance journalist in Afghanistan and contributed to several Australian newspapers, including The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

  BezhanF@rferl.org

 

 

https://www.rferl.org/a/lebanon-beirut-armenians-israel-hezbollah/33159516.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawF9lI1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbqFcMFfRFA5j9BFwc5Fb-J6p40_29DhLQqLisAfQz00kIwe_RGLZE4TcQ_aem_RKvBnBc5IXhzRV8uYtA71w

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

 

Near East12:53, 11 January 2025

Israel blows up houses in Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district: Report

Read the article in: ՀայերենРусский

YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. Israeli forces carried out an operation to “blow up a number of houses in the town of Aita al-Shaab” in Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district, Al Jazeera reported citing Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The operation resulted in loud sounds that were heard in surrounding villages, NNA said.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was implemented on November 27 but Lebanon has accused Israel of violating it dozens of times since.

 

 

 

Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1209240?fbclid=IwY2xjawHwTJdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRxixAHP8OowRNUtxlZFzLdq7nxpoJ5RQAU94ULLdB8X50-tleNxm7QjfQ_aem_IcSuqQYQbV_t-bYPp4UPOw

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